Paper Wishes
by Mercury Bohemian
Summary: An old tradition brings back painful memories for Naruto, and a certain someone is there to comfort him. Shounen Ai.


A/N: So here it is, my glorious (okay, not so much) return to the Naruto fandom. This story is totally random, and I made up the thing about the wishes (so, its not actually a thing in Japanese culture, or if it is, I didn't know it), so, yeah…don't go around telling people to do it. Haha. Anyways, this story is dedicated to the lovely Sayward, because she inspired me to write it, so…yeah…GO SAYWARD! So yeah, that's all. Warnings and disclaimers below.

Disclaimer: Naruto not mine. You not suing me. Right?

WARNINGS: Suckiness (I haven't written in this or any fandom in a while, so I cannot be blamed for suckiness), VERY light Shounen Ai, light, but existent, possible incoherency….other than that, I'm just sorry if its not good. So now, read on!

**Paper Wishes**

"That's right, just like that. Now fill it with your wishes." The young blonde boy smiled back up at his friend, studying his face for a moment before turning his gaze back to the small piece of paper. It was pink, like the cherry blossoms that always covered the ground in the spring, and everyone had teased him for choosing it, but Naruto didn't care. His wishes would float on the wind just like the sakura petals.

"Go on," Sasuke said cheerfully, motioning for the blonde to proceed. Naruto obeyed, laughing delightedly as the balloon took shape, the sides puffing out, the folds almost coming undone as he pushed his wishes out with his breath.

When he was finished, he swelled with pride, cradling it before him. "It's wonderful!"

Sasuke smiled. "Yes, it is." For a moment, they were both silent, innocent eyes admiring, but then Sasuke spoke again. "Okay, now we have to go set them free."

Naruto frowned. "Are you sure I can't keep it?"

"If you don't let the wind take them, your wishes won't come true, and you'll have to wait a whole year before you can try again." Naruto just nodded, standing up and approaching the teacher, balloon still resting delicately in his palms. Sasuke followed.

"Iruka-sensei, may I go set my wishes free?"

Iruka-sensei looked down at the tiny boys standing before him, a smile warming his features as his eyes softened. "Of course, Naruto. And you know, it's more likely they'll come true if you have a friend with you. Maybe Sasuke would like to go as well?" Both children nodded vigorously. "Okay, then. Be back soon."

Naruto smiled up at Iruka-sensei, mumbling a soft, "Domo arigatou gozaimasu, sensei," before scuttling out of the room, Sasuke still in tow. When they were outside of the building, the blonde turned to Sasuke and said quietly, "Where do I set them free?"

"Follow me." Sasuke wanted to take Naruto's hand, but knew the boy was focused on protecting his balloon, so instead he began walking a little in front of him. The path was uneven, so he walked slowly, making sure that Naruto wouldn't trip on anything, or stumble in a way that might make him lose his treasure. When they finally reached their destination, Sasuke slowed further, before coming to a halt, Naruto standing beside him. "Now you have let it go."

They were standing on the edge of a cliff, and looking down, it was impossible to see the ground, there was nothing but an endless space of air and a whirling current of winds, whipping in every direction. Naruto peered down into that air cautiously, holding the balloon against him for a moment and closing his eyes, as if making one last wish, and then he let it go.

For a few seconds the balloon simply floated, but then the winds caught it and it was swept away, skittering across the empty space like a bird. They watched until they couldn't see it any more, and then turned away. Naruto was crying, and when Sasuke noticed, he frowned, grabbing the blonde's hand and saying quietly, "Don't worry, Naruto. One day they'll come back to you even more beautiful than before."

Naruto sniffed a little, rubbing at his eyes before turning a brilliant smile on Sasuke. "Arigatou."

"Happy Birthday, Naruto."

Naruto woke with a start, slamming his fist through his clock and cursing vividly when he realized he'd broken it. He sat up then, scowling as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to remember what he had been dreaming. For a few moments, he came up blank, but then, as he glanced at his calendar and saw the date, circled and boxed and starred, he knew.

For some reason, he always had that dream on this day, always woke up with a start, always broke his alarm, and always took a moment to realize what he'd been dreaming. Ever since that day, the memory had haunted him, despite his best efforts to forget. He sighed, mumbling a quiet, "What can ya do?" and crawling out of bed.

He dressed quickly, choosing to forgo the bathing ritual (having a publicly acceptable smell was a highly overrated practice), and scarfed some ramen before making his way solemnly to his bed-side table. He lifted the lamp gingerly and slid the tiny silver key that was hiding there off the table into his hand. He set the lamp back down then and stood for a moment, staring at the key before shoving it into the lock on the top drawer. He took a deep breath, calming his vibrating nerves, and then slowly pulled the drawer open, revealing hundreds of squares of sakura pink paper.

His hands were shaking as he gently withdrew a single sheet, and the trembling paper made soft crinkling noises as he slid the drawer shut once again. For a moment, he simply stared at it, watching the corners quiver under his touch, and then he stood up and went to the kitchen, sitting down at the kitchen table and setting the paper in front of him.

He worked diligently for a few short moments, the folds coming to him without effort, and soon he had a perfectly folded balloon before him. He stood silently then, clutching the paper to him and leaving the house. He walked for a few minutes, making desperate attempts to ignore the whispers following him, the jeers, the occasional loud proclamation that someone wished he hadn't made it past his sixth birthday, much less his sixteenth. He couldn't help but think a little bitterly, everyone in the village knew his birthday, yet, there were only a few who thought to wish him a happy one. It hurt.

And so, every year, he would do what he did then. He paused when he reached the edge of the cliff, sitting down lightly, dangling his legs over the edge and bringing the paper to his lips. He blew softly into the balloon, inflating it with all of his wishes. Seconds later it was, swept up in an almost violent wind. Naruto cried as he watched it.

"Don't worry Naruto. One day they'll come back to you even more beautiful than before."

Naruto jumped, scrambling to his feet and attempting to scrub his eyes dry at the same time. "What?"

Sasuke's face was neutral as he stood there, the wind playing with his hair, but his eyes, Naruto thought, seemed soft, warm. "It's your birthday. People shouldn't cry on their birthdays." And for some reason, Naruto couldn't stop the new tears that were clouding his vision.

Why? Why would Sasuke say something like that? After all those years of cold silence? After that day when suddenly they were no longer friends? Why would Sasuke even be there? He just couldn't understand what would drive the other boy to suddenly decide today would be the good day to be civil, kind even. He couldn't understand why Sasuke had pushed him away in the first place, why his only friend had abandoned him, and why he was now there, suddenly, bringing back memories that were better left in the past. He couldn't understand why he was crying.

And suddenly, it didn't matter anymore, because through all of his confusion, and all of those tears, Naruto realized that Sasuke was crying too, if even just a little. "I don't know why." Sasuke's voice was soft, broken, and Naruto was surprised, because he didn't even think he'd asked. "Maybe, because I realized I love you. Even after all these years, I love you."

And Naruto smiled at that, his vision still distorted with tears as he stepped forward, closing the short distance between them and pressing his lips softly against Sasuke's, whispering into his mouth, "I love you too." And Sasuke kissed him.

It was a short kiss, chaste in all respects, but to Naruto it was the world. And when they broke apart, Naruto turned his gaze downwards, a grin spreading across his features as he caught sight of a small pink balloon lying half crumpled at their feet. He knelt slowly and picked it up, cradling it in his palms and holding it out for Sasuke to see. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"

Sasuke smiled. "Yeah, it is."

Owari

おわりー

A/N: Alrighty, that's it…it wasn't the best thing every, but it was okay, I thought. I don't know why I used Japanese but the meanings are

Sakura Cherry blossom (I'm sad if you didn't know that)

domo arigatou gozaimasu Thank you (very polite)

arigatou thank you (informal)

owari the end

Thanks for reading everyone!


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